Professional Organizer Sara Long shares organizing tips and news to help you say "so long" to clutter.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

What’s Your Reason?

As a Professional Organizer, I hear a lot of frustration from people who are trying to organize their spaces. I’ve heard it all! Here is my top ten countdown of reasons why people think they can’t get organized.

10. “If I get rid of something, I may need it later.”You may, but if you forgot you had it and haven’t used it in several years, you probably won’t need it. Plus, you probably will be able to buy a similar thing if you need it later.

9. “I’m so busy, I don’t have time to organize.”Organizing an hour a week will give you several more hours in your schedule.

8. “All of this stuff may be worth something.”If you are serious about making money, research your items’ worth, and be willing to sell. Call an appraiser if necessary. Your space is valuable too, and you need your space now.

6. “All of this stuff has memories.”It is difficult deciding which sentimental items to keep, but you know you need the space. Keep the memories, part with the stuff. And clear your house for new memories.

5. “Those clothes are three sizes too small, but I’m on a diet.”If you have items of clothing that haven’t been worn in a year, take time to sit down and be honest with yourself. It adds stress to have a closetful of tiny dresses staring at you as you are dieting. Keep clothes one or two sizes too small at most, not all of your clothes from high school.

4. “This is all other people’s stuff.” The kids leave stuff, your spouse dumps stuff, your room is full of junk! Start by dividing what belongs to whom. Find places in the house to be “homes” for their stuff. If it has no home and hasn’t been used in over a year, consider donating it. Then lay down the law: you deserve a clutter-free space for yourself!

3. “I’m just a messy person.”Messy and disorganized are two different things. Some messy people can find what they need in two seconds, while some neat people don’t know where anything is. Organization is about retrieval. It’s still possible to be organized if you like your space full of things.

2. “It’s so bad, I don’t know where to start.” There is no “perfect” place to begin. Start somewhere, anywhere. Start with a small project, and make a list of other small projects you can do a few hours at a time over several weeks or months.

And finally, drum roll please...

1. “I can’t do it alone!” Maybe it’s time to call a Professional Organizer. Visit www.saralong.com to read about what a Professional Organizer can do for you.